Lipoabdominoplasty – The Ultimate Abdomen Contouring

 

Many women find it difficult to achieve a flat stomach even after a perfect diet or exercise especially after pregnancy or major weight loss. Some also have exercise resistant fat which doesn’t shed off even after trying everything. Lipoabdominoplasty surgery in Kolkata has become one of the most common cosmetic surgeries to get rid of the excessive fat or skin from the abdomen.

Introduction:

Lipoabdominoplasty is a procedure which combines liposuction and abdominoplasty to remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen. It is a perfectly safe cosmetic procedure where the important structures of the abdomen like lymphatic vessels, nerves and blood vessels are not harmed.  

 

Lipoabdominoplasty is a safe procedure which prevents the complications and tissue trauma that can be involved with standard abdominoplasty such as hematoma (blood clot within the tissues), seroma (fluid accumulation in tissues), necrosis (tissue death) and fat necrosis.

 

Indications and Contraindications:

Lipoabdominoplasty are not suitable for the people with skinny abdomen and excessive skin, in that case you have to opt for traditional abdominoplasty.

Lipoabdominoplasty can be done to the patients having the following condition:

Presence of excess fat and redundant skin on the tummy, flanks and around the back

Excess fat in the lower abdomen or pear shaped body

Obese individuals with more fat in the abdominal wall.

Weakened abdominal muscles

Excess superficial fat in the upper abdomen

Fat in the abdomen and flanks giving an appearance of rolls

 

Pre-operative Assessment:

Before the procedure, you entire medical history is taken and a detailed physical examination is performed. It is recommended to stop smoking for a couple of day to avoid complications after the surgery and delayed healing. A healthy diet is recommended. Any kind of strict diet before the surgery has to be stopped. The doctor to should know about all the medication that you are taking currently and also about significant medical conditions and past surgeries.

 

Surgical Procedure:

The surgery is performed under general anaesthesia. Steps include in performing lipoabdominoplasty are:

The surgeon injects tumescent fluid, a mixture of saline, lidocaine, and vasoconstrictor to the fat cells. This anaesthetic fluid helps to decrease swelling, bleeding and facilitates removal of fat during liposuction.

Liposuction is performed to extract maximum fats from abdomen, back and flanks.

Liposuction is performed to remove the maximum quantity of fat from the abdomen, flanks and back.

After liposuction, an incision is made in the lower abdomen from hip bone to hip bone. The skin is elevated up to the umbilicus or navel in a special plane. The skin around the navel is then isolated.

A tunnel dissection is performed to expose the upper abdominal muscles. If required, the muscles are tightened.

The upper abdominal skin is pulled down over the lower part of the abdomen; excess skin is removed, and the edges are sutured.

Then, an umbilicoplasty or a belly button surgery is performed to create a new opening for the already attached umbilicus to the abdominal muscles. The new umbilicus is similar to that of the natural umbilicus.

The fluid collected under the skin flap may be drained or the space may be pre-closed depending on the surgeon’s choice.

Post-Surgery Care

After a surgery pain killers are prescribed to the patients to decrease the pain. It is advised to rest with your hips and knees to exert less tension on the abdomen. Generally the patient is released in an overnight or may be a day more if there is any sign of complications which happens rarely. Stiches are mostly internal and dissolving. Full recovery takes around 2-3 weeks.

Risks:

Like every other surgery lipoabdominoplasty also has some complications and risk factors which are observed very rarely though:

Infection

Delayed healing

Lung collapse

Deep vein thrombosis

 

Advantages:

Improved abdominal sculpting because of the aggressive liposuction

Many patients will have a short scar

Lower rate of postoperative complications

Less likelihood of postoperative numbness

Less swelling, bruising, and faster recovery

Blood vessels, nerves or lymphatic vessels do not get damaged anyway.

 

Conclusion:

Lipoabdominoplasty is one of the most common cosmetic surgery that people undergo to achieve a much more aesthetic self which increases the self confidence because it’s not always easy move in life being obese.

Hair Fall and Smoking

 

Marlboro or Dunhill? Do you relate to this question? If yes, then this blog is definitely for you. According to a World Health Organization (WHO), India contributes around 12% of the world smokers, which means around 120 million people in India smokes tobacco in form of Cigarette, Cigar, Bidi etc. But do you know that smoking can be a serious reason for hair fall also apart from the fact that tobacco causes cancer. There are few things that you should know from the best hair transplant clinic in Kolkata.

What smoking does to your hair?

The hair follicles in our scalp need essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins, zinc to have a healthy growth of hair. Now these nutrients reach our scalp through the circulation of blood.

Cigarette smoke contains toxic chemicals that shrinks our blood vessels and disrupts the blood flow in our body. Hence the hair follicles inour scalp doesn’t get enough nutrients due to the lack of blood circulation in the scalp. This disrupts the hair cycle and the hair becomes thins and starts to shed leading to noticeable hair loss.

Weakens immune system:

Due to the disrupted blood flow in the scalp, the hair follicles starts to produce excessive oils which leads to sticky hair, dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis), itchy scalp and scalp infection which leads to aggressive hair loss.

Since smoking imbalances the blood flow in the body which weakens the immune system of the body making it difficult to fight the pathogenic infections. This further aggravates your condition and results in severe hair fall.

Pollution:

The toxins presents in smoking not only hampers the health of the person smoking but also affects the one who is exposed to passive smoking or second hand smoking.

Harmful pollutants like nicotine and cotinine released into the air by cigarette smokers deposit in the hair shaft. This results in permanent damage in the hair structure of the people who are exposed to that polluted air. And, the alkaline nature of the toxins released from cigarette smoking can disturb your scalp pH, which affects your hair growth finally.

It’s not just inhaling smoke that is going to damage your hair but also people who are accustomed to stay and smoke in closed rooms or in car with windows rolled up are more prone to damage as it acts as a pollutant directly in contact with your hair.

Also, pollution caused by smoking can intensify your genetic hair loss while the carcinogens present in the contaminated air block the mechanisms in your hair follicles that produce hair protein.

How to stop hair loss due to smoking

1.  STOP SMOKING

The best way to reverse your hair thinning is by quitting it which is indeed the most difficult thing to do for a regular smoker. Your body promotes reverse hair growth by its natural rejuvenation process when the contamination is cut off for the hair and scalp tissue.

We know giving up is not easy so instead of quitting in a snap try patches or gums and give up eventually.

2. Have nutritious diet

Nutrients like vitamins and minerals acts as cleanser to the system for the contamination that has already been done due to smoking. They helps to rejuvenate the system and repair your antibodies so that they prevent you from pathogenic infections which aggravates hair fall.

Ensure your diet includes foods that are rich in Vitamins-A, B, C, D, E, K, iron, zinc, folic acid, proteins, etc. Include herbs like Indian gooseberry (Amla), fenugreek, coriander, turmeric powder, Jeera, etc. in your everyday diet as they not only promote your hair growth, but also strengthen your immunity

 

What is Pediatric Hernia – a Brief Explanation

 

 About 3-5% of the child develop inguinal hernia and the stats rise up to 30% if the baby is prematurely born. Get to know about the inguinal hernia from the best pediatric hernia surgeon in Kolkata.

 

What is pediatric hernia?

The story of pediatric hernia begins from the time when the baby is in mother’s womb. During the development of the foetus the testicles are first developed inside the abdomen and then it goes down to the testicle through a canal known as the inguinal canal which later gets sealed on its own. In some case this tunnel doesn’t get completely sealed and a piece of bowel can trap.

How to identify pediatric hernia?

Hernias canoccur at any age but are mostly noticeable after a few weeks or months of birth. If your child has hernia you can see a bulge on the groin or the scrotum. Generally it can grow large when your child is crying or straining and again get back smaller when sleeping (i.e. relaxed). Though there are some myths that crying and straining can cause hernia which is completely not true.

Doctors can identify the hernia very easily while examining them by seeing a bulge when he/she is crying and getting smaller when relaxed.

But what a doctor sees is different from what you see in the house. If there is a constant bulge then probably there’s a chance that it’s not a hernia rather it might be a mass. Rarely ultrasound is recommended for examining hernia.

How to treat?

Unfortunately there is no other option treat a hernia but to go for a surgery. The surgery is scheduled to close the tunnel. The timing of the surgery will depend upon the severity of the hernia. If it is an incarcerated hernia then immediate procedure needs to be arranged.

What kind of surgery is done?

A small incision is made near the bulge where the bowel is pushed back to the abdomen and the tunnel is closed.

If laparoscopy is approached then tiny incisions are made to insert the instruments and push back the bowel inside.

If bowel is trapped in hernia (incarcerated or strangulated) then the surgeon make sure that the blood supply is not stopped for a long time and then the part of bowel that is stuck is cutoff and the bowels are sewn back.

Generally the surgery takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour. The surgery is performed using general anaesthesia. After he/she gains consciousness you will get to see your child. There might be some pain in the area of incision but painkillers will be recommended by the doctor. The child will be sent to home on the same day. But if the child is a premature baby then the doctor might keep him/her for a one day observation.

 

Post-Surgery:

Home-care instructions can be different depending on the hospital or surgeon, age of the child, and how complex the surgery was. However, some general principles may be similar:

Most children can eat a regular diet right after surgery.

Recovery time depends on the child. Most can go back to normal, non-strenuous activities in about 1-2 weeks.

Your child will be restricted from bathing for 2-3 days post-surgery. Your surgeon may give you different or more specific instructions.

However if you notice any of the complication below then contact the doctor immediately:

Bleeding or drainage from the incision

Redness around the wound(s)

Fever above 101 F

Vomiting

Less peeing than usual or fewer wet diapers than usual

 

Having an inguinal hernia in one groin may lead to the chance of having the hernia on other groin but generally it doesn’t happen. The surgeon will give a details of the post-surgery care for your child.

Should I Leave a City that’s Bad for My Hair?

 

Hair fall is probably one of the most serious issues that affects a man. And there are actually various factors that propagates hair fall. It can be genetic, hormones, lifestyle. But something that we miss out is how the environment that we are living in affects our hair. In most cases the damage that is done due to environment is due to staying in the metropolitan cities.

Excessive hair fall leads to baldness; this is the time where things go out of hand. But actually things never go out of hand. If you think you are suffering from baldness you can always visit the best hair transplant clinic in Kolkata where you will get the right treatment and get the knowledge what should be your next step.

 

Now coming to the question, if you really think about it, is it justified or a plausible option for anyone to leave the city if that is the reason for his hair damage? The answer is a straight NO.

 

Metropolitan cities have more number of cars, bikes, factories etc. which means more fumes implying to more pollution. The metropolitan cities in India have the peculiar climatic condition due to pollution and topographical location in the map. Now these elements like smokes, fumes, humidity, and excessive heat are all bad for your hair as it depletes its growth and make them thinner, frizzy and prone to breakage.

 

To look at this question in a practical point of view, it is nearly impossible to leave a city just because it’s damaging your hair. Things to be kept in mind that there are different other causes that damage the hair and the environmental condition is not the only one. At the same time there are various remedies and a change in lifestyle that will improve your hair condition.

 

1. Change your Life style:

You may be eating too much junk foods. Excessive junk and oily food can accelerate your hair fall so it’s better to keep the junk food intake in control. Also they are not healthy!

You may be the person who always wants your hair on point to stand out of the crowd. But in due process you may be using too much hair products like wax or pomades. Too much usage of hair products blocks the pore, dry out the hair strands making them thin and frizzy and ultimately shedding them off.

Don’t use too much hair dryer, hair straightener or curler. Because direct heat on scalp or the hair strand makes them lose their strength leading to thinning of hair.

Stop smoking. Smoking disrupts the regulation of blood flow in the body hence leading to insufficient supply of oxygen in the hair follicles. It’s difficult to quit smoking at once so try using nicotine patches or gums.

2. Check your diet:

Everyone is running in this 21^st century for their success. There is a rat-race going on where people are always busy, so much busy that they even forget to look after their basic things like their diet. Most of the younger generation don’t get their proper diet just because they don’t have the time for it. We go for what is easy rather than what is correct.

Proteins and vitamins play a very important role in the growth of your hair. Proteins are one of the major ingredients of hair and vitamins promote hair growth. So make sure you get optimum protein and vitamins in your diet.

3. Homemade remedies:

There are some home-made remedies that are easy to make and apply to your hair for it’s better growth.

 

Aloe-Vera: Applying Aloe Vera on your scalp may help in promoting hair growth as it is rich in Vitamin A, C and E. Though the beneficiary result of topical application of Aloe Vera in the scalp is still unclear as there is no perfect evidence of Aloe Vera penetration the skin.

You can use pure Aloe Vera gel from plant or use any hair product with Aloe Vera in it.

Egg-Yolk Mask: The egg yolk consist the same proteins that are found in the hair follicles. Also a research in 2018 says Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Biotin and Folate are found in egg yolk which promotes hair growth.

Hot Oil Treatment: Treating your hair with hot oil is good way of restoring moisture to frizzy and damaged hair. A mixture of coconut and avocado oil is especially beneficial. According to a 2003 study, coconut oil has the ability to reduce protein loss in both damaged and undamaged hair.

Summing Up

Running away from the place you live can never be a solution to your falling hair rather if you realise that your city is somewhat responsible for your hair fall, it is recommended to take extra care of your hair using the remedies.

Finasteride and Its Side Effects

 

 

Before getting to the side effects part, first we need to know what finasteride is actually.

Hair loss and alopecia has become a serious issue in this 21^st century especially in India. And cost of hair transplant in Kolkata has also become a lot affordable with the introduction of new optimised and cutting edge technologies. But one should go for the surgery only when there is no other option left.

What is Finasteride?

One of the primary reasons of male pattern balding is DHT (Dihydrotestosterone), a hormone which contracts the hair follicles which leads to thinning of hair, discoloration and ultimately breaking it off. Finasteride is a drug approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which acts as a DHT blocker and prevent hair loss.

Side effects:

As said that the grass is not always green on the other side, Finasteride also has some side effects if not taken in the right doses.

The most common side effects that are associated with the usage of Finasteride are:

Low sex drive

Trouble getting/keeping an erection

Ejaculation disorder

Skin rash

If these problems persist it is recommended to visit a physician as soon as possible.

Also sometimes finasteride leads to some serious reactions like:

Swollen lips, throat, tongue

Lumps or pain in breast

Nipple discharge

Finasteride sometimes interacts with other medications and prevent the drug from working well. So before getting recommended by finasteride the physician should be informed well about your medical history and the medications you’re taking.

Finasteride gets processed in liver. So if you have a liver problem this might take up time to work and get accumulated increasing the chance of side effects. In this scenario a lower dosage of medicine is recommended.

Finasteride can increase the chance of prostate cancer. If you have a history of prostate cancer this drug can make it worse.

Finasteride should never be used in case of pregnancy or during the time of breastfeeding as it can go to the child’s body through breast milk.

Though finasteride has quite some side effects but it has shown results previously. Doctors recommend usage of finasteride only after knowing all the medical condition and history of the patient.

Breast Augmentation in a Nutshell

 

Introduction:

Breast Augmentation also known as mammoplasty is a procedure to increase the breast size. It is done by placing implants under the breast. Breast implantation surgery in Kolkata is opted by various women and transgender for various purposes. Some do it to feel more confident whereas some go for it to rebuild the breast for various conditions.

Why breast augmentation?

Breast augmentation surgery is performed for various issues:

If you think your breasts are small or they are not uniform is shape or size.

Adjust in the reduction of size of breast after pregnancy

Correct or uneven breast after breast surgery or other condition

Improve self confidence

Possible risks:

Most of the cosmetic surgeries comes with a little bit of risk, and breast augmentation is no different.

There may be some complications that might (not necessarily) be noticed after performing the surgery:

Capsular Contracture - Scar tissues that distort the shape of breast implants

Breast pain

Infection

Changes in nipple and breast sensation

Implant leakage or rupture

If any of this complication are noticed, ypu should contact your surgeon immediately. To correct a second surgery can be needed.

According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), there might be a possible connection between breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) which a type of cancer of the immune system. FDA says that women having breast implants has a slight risk of getting ALCL. However further research are needed to understand the connection between breast implants and ALCL.

 

How to prepare?

Before going through the procedure, you should consult with the surgeon about every detail be it the size or shape of the breasts that you want.

Now before going through the surgery there are few things that need to be considered:

 

Your breasts will sag even if you go for the breast augmentation surgery. If you want them not you might need to have a breast lift along with it.

The average lifespan of an augmented breast is around 10 years. So if you think the end result of your surgery will last lifelong then you should probably think again.

Mammograms might be more complicated. If you have breast implants, in addition to routine mammograms, you'll require additional, specialized views

Breast augmentation might affect breast feeding. Some women can breast feed easily whereas for some it’s a challenge.

You might need another surgery after removal of implants. An additional breast lift surgery might require to keep your breasts in shape

Your doctor will adjust your medication before surgery. As medicines like aspiring might lead to excessive bleeding. Also if you have a habit of smoking it is recommended to stop for a couple of days before the surgery.

 

What to expect?

Breast augmentation surgery is generally done in hospital outpatient facility or surgical centre. The patient gets to go home that very particular as there are very rare cases of patient requiring hospital stay.

The surgery is mostly done with general anaesthesia but sometimes local anaesthesia are also used where the person gets to be awake during the whole process.

Procedure:

During the procedure the doctor will make an incision any of the three places

In the crease under your breast (inflammatory)

Under your arm (axillary)

Around your nipple (periareolar)

After making an incision, the surgeon will separate your breast tissue from the muscles and connective tissue of your chest. This creates a pocket either behind or in front of the outermost muscle of the chest wall (pectoral muscle). The surgeon will insert the implant into this pocket and center it behind your nipple.

Saline implants are inserted empty and then filled with sterile salt water once they're in place. Silicone implants are pre-filled with silicone gel.

When the implant is in place, the surgeon will close the incision — typically with stitches (sutures) — and bandage it with skin adhesive and surgical tape.

 

Post-Surgery:

It’s common to have swelling or soreness around the breast. Bruising is also possible. It is recommended to wear a compression bandage or a sports bra to give the breasts an extra support and positioning.

It is recommended to not to go for any strenuous activity for a couple of weeks. If your job is desk job and doesn’t need regular physical activity then you can join after a week or two. While healing your breasts will be sensitive to physical contact and jarring movement so you need to be careful about it.

If your surgeon used sutures that don't absorb on their own or placed drainage tubes near your breasts, you'll need a follow-up appointment for removal. If you notice warmth and redness in your breast or you run a fever, you might have an infection. Contact your surgeon as soon as possible. Also contact your surgeon if you have shortness of breath or chest pain.

Results:

Though it is a cosmetic surgery still you should keep your expectations realistic. There may be a slight difference in the shape of the breasts but this surgery will definitely lift up your confidence and self-esteem and change the way you look at yourself. Also your breast will keep ageing after your augmentation so if you notice change in shape due to ageing or weight gain or weight loss you should consult your surgeon and get it fixed with another surgery if needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Love My Hair, What Should I Do to Prevent Balding?

 

Statistics say that 66% of male are affected by male pattern baldness and out of them 40% has a tendency of noticeable hair loss by the time they are 35. So considering various situations there are some advices from the best hair transplant clinic in Kolkata.

 

1. Try prescription medicines:

According to the approval of FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Minoxidil and Finasteride can be used to treat hair loss. Finasteride acts as a DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) blocker, the element which shrinks up the hair follicle leading to hair thinning and ultimately falling out of hair. DHT eventually damages the hair follicle in such an order that there is no regrowth of hair in that particular area as the follicle doesn’t exist anymore.

 

On the other hand Minoxidil doesn’t stop the hair fall but it helps to boost the hair growth. Minoxidil increase the blood circulation and increase the nutrient absorption in the scalp. But both of them have some side effects. In case of Finasteride, one out thirty one men has experienced erectile dysfunction and decrease of sexual drive due to the usage of Finasteride. And Minoxidil may lead to skin irritation and allergic reaction in the scalp.

 

2. Laser Comb:

Apart from Minoxidil and Finasteride the only approved product by the FDA for hair loss treatment is laser comb. The laser comb uses the LLLT (Low Level Laser Therapy) technique. The laser comb is an “Anagen Inductor”.

 

This means it causes hairs to transfer into their growth cycle, much like Tricomin and Rogaine Foam do. It does this by utilizing something called Photo-Bio Stimulation, which increases vascular circulation and ATP production. The laser comb is supposed to be used 2-3 times a weeks. A significant study in 2014 says 103 men with pattern baldness has seen a lot of improvement in their hair on using it consistently for 26 weeks.

 

3. Fix your hair product:

There has been quite noticeable hair loss in people who uses excessive hair products like gels and waxes especially the cheaper ones.  The chemicals found in these products stick to the scalp blocking the pores leading to dryness and breakage of hair. Instead of using synthetic products switch to natural products to keep your hair safe.

4. Switch to anti-DHT shampoos:

Like said before DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) is the culprit that is one of the primary reason for most hairfall cases. But there are shampoos that help to fight this. Shampoos containing 1-2% ketoconazole, an element that prevents the conversion of testosterone to DHT just like Finasteride does.

 

But there is an advantage of using anti-DHT shampoos over Finasteride. Since Finasteride is orally taken as it comes in the form of tablets only, it affects the whole body leading to side effects like lower sex drive and erectile dysfunction, but in case of these shampoos their effects are restricted to scalp only and hence there is no such side effects.

5. Scalp massage:

Studies shows that scalp massage improves growth of hair as it circulates the blood all over the scalp resulting in nourishment of the hair follicles. Use your fingertips in circular motion on your scalp to massage your hair for 4 minutes a day to improve the hair growth.

 

6. Stop hot showers:

Overly hot showers can cause damage to the scalp by stripping it of the essential oils that help to protect it, causing dryness and inflammation. There is no direct evidence that hot showers lead to hair loss, but some believe that scalp inflammation can result in miniaturization of the hair follicles and thinning hair.

 

7. Hair Transplant:

This is the last and only option if everything goes wrong and you end up losing most of your hair. Before hair loss, we have around 100,000 hair strands and around 25,000 hair strands are required to have a fuller look. The hair transplant procedure consists of taking up the hair follicles from the healthy and undamaged part of your head known as the “donor” and putting them in the affected area.

 

Two procedures are followed considering various factors, FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). After healing and a considerable growth of your hair you will witness the difference.